


Welcome to Voltron Academy

by tafih



Category: Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Sound of Music Fusion, F/F, F/M, Gen, Genderbent Sven, M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), musical AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-23 17:59:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9669875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tafih/pseuds/tafih
Summary: The Voltron Academy of Liberal Arts holds a very high place among the most prestigious boarding escalator schools in the world. Their theatrical productions, furthermore, are astounding.Which is why, Coran, the Musical Genius Man, decided to go above and beyond with this year’s production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, beginning with his choices for casting.  But Maria is falling for the Baroness. The Captain is awkwardly wooing the costume designer. And Rolf would rather kiss Friedrich than Liesl.





	1. How do you solve a problem like Coran’s insistence on meddling in the affairs of teenagers?

**Author's Note:**

> Well, let's see how this goes....

The Voltron Academy of Liberal Arts holds a very high place among the most prestigious boarding escalator schools in the world. Boasting a gorgeous Oxford-inspired campus in the middle of the Altean Mountains, a rigorous curriculum, and stellar extra-curricular activities, VALA produces the finest and most well-rounded graduates in the nation. Their theatrical productions, furthermore, are astounding.

Which is why, Coran, the Musical Genius Man, decided to go above and beyond with this year’s production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s _The Sound of Music_ , beginning with his choices for casting...

** Sound of Music Cast List  **

Maria - Ryoko Shirogane (12)

Captain Von Trapp - Takashi Shirogane (12)

Max Detweiler - Rolo Zorlar (12)

Baroness Shräder - Amue Romelle (11)

Rolf - Keith Kogane (10)

 

**Von Trapp Children (High School)**

Liesl - Nyma Jones (10)

Friedrich - Lance McClain (10) 

* * *

**_How do you solve a problem like_ Coran’s insistence on meddling in the affairs of teenagers? **

* * *

At 7:25 AM, before most of the other students awoke and filed to their homerooms from their dorms or from the mess hall if they got up early enough, the Shirogane twins stare - deadpan - at the pink and perfumed A4-size paper with their theatrical destinies printed on it.

“Well, that’s awkward,” Ryo chuckles facetiously as she eyes her brother, who narrows his eyes at the interesting casting choices.

“Why would he make us the main couple?” Takashi wonders aloud.

“Mom’ll get a laugh out of it,” his twin snorts as she peers at the rest of the cast list, “Who’s Amue Romelle?”

“Did someone question my decis- _YONS_!?” Coran shouts as he tumbles into the hallway, a red cape fluttering magnificently behind him that eventually falls down to cover a very un-amused Allura. She whips it off and huffs at a stray hair, still looking marvelous, nonetheless, in the VALA’s uniform.

“Coran, we’re identical twins. It’ll be weird if we play Maria and Captain von Trapp, won’t it?” Ryo questions as she straightens out the collar of their academy uniform, noticing how perfect and pristine Allura’s button-up shirt and felt inadequate.

“You look different enough and with costumes, lighting, the _music -_ everything will work out just fine! And as much as I would have loved Allura to play the lead,” he drapes himself across her shoulders and Allura just sighs. “But due to her not auditioning - definitely not bitter or anything - but also nothing can beat the innate talent that flows from your Shirogane genes~,”

He keeps rambling and making broad gestures at the walls while Allura lifts a brow.

Shiro explains, “Our grandfather was a director for Takarazuka,”

“Wow, I did not know that,” she comments woodenly. It is far too early for her to deal with Coran’s histrionics. “I’m sorry about him. It really is _far_ too early for anyone to deal with Coran’s theatre mode,” she murmurs.

“Oh, no, it’s…” Takashi pauses, “How come you didn’t audition?”

Allura releases a breathy laugh from her lips. “Unlike _someone_ who got into every school he applied to, I still have my applications to work on.”

“But your grades are as good as mine – and they’re definitely not as bad as Ryo’s, right?”

“What the hell, man?” Ryo shouts at her brother and stabs him with her hand, right into the meat of his sweater-vest, which does no good because his abdominals are **_solid_**. “Damn your muscly core!” she curses the heavens as she examines her shaking hand.

Allura rolls her eyes at the twin’s antics (mostly Ryo’s antics since Shiro just stares blankly into the void while his sister frolics around him). But a smile creeps onto her lips, nevertheless.

“Right, Coran, who’s Amue?” Ryo asks, now completely on top of her brother’s back.

Coran, who had his legs wrapped around a bust of the founder, flew off of said bust and says, “I’m surprised you haven’t met her yet. She transferred in last week.”

Allura adds, “Well, she’s been trying to get settled in – it’s hard getting started once second semester has already begun. And,” she turns her attention to the twins, “Amue is my second cousin. She is staying in Wisteria Hall.”

“Oh, that’s why I haven’t seen her.”

“You both will meet her soon enough – she is quite talented. Though, a bit shy when not on stage,” Coran comments with inquisition in his brow. “Well, I have to run, got to bestow my wisdom onto my homeroom class of impressionable freshman boys!” And in a whirlwind of red, Coran whirls away to the male student classrooms.

“Not as talented as me, though, right?” Ryo jokingly asks as she shifts so that Takashi has to piggyback her.

“Course, Ryo – everyone pales in comparison to your incredible person,” Allura jests.

“I know,” she retorts with a mischievous grin as she swings her legs from their angle against Shiro’s grip. “Aniki, take me to homeroom.”

“The girls’ homerooms are on the other side of the building,” Takashi mutters, knowing that he already lost the battle and begins to walk anyways.

“But you’re carrying me already – just walk a few feet down the hall.”

The principal’s daughter just shakes her head as she follows the twins.

* * *

During their break between classes, Sophomore Lance McClain drags Hunk to the billboard of the school atrium. He eagerly and nervously peers over the cast list, scouring the words for his name. 

“Yes!” Lance shouts, “I got a role!”

“Nice,” Hunk mutters politely as Lance dances about with his arms – then the Cuban swimmer stops suddenly.

“Ugh, wait, how did _Keith_ get to be Rolf?! He doesn’t even do theatre stuff…he’s a _fencer_."

“You sure, it’s _Keith_ Keith?”

“Yep, says ‘Keith Kogane’ right there,” Lance snarls after he stabs the paper next to his self-proclaimed rival’s name. “ ** _And_** he gets to kiss Nyma! What the HECK?”

“You’re being too loud, Lance,” Pidge warns as he approaches.

“Sup, Gunderson,” Hunk nods. “Are you going to helping out on set like last semester?”

“Professor Ryner told me that I should…so _yeah,"_ Pidge shrugs. "Probably.”

“Coran said that he wanted to use the entire gymnasium as the set, you know, letting audience members walk around the sets as if they’re extras,” Hunk comments.

“Oh, that’ll be cool,” Pidge mutters, already drawing up plans in their head. “Maybe, if I construct-,”

Lance interrupts by covering Pidge’s mouth. “Nope,” he says, “I can already foresee a long monologue so stop right there.”

“You’re a jerk, Lance,” Pidge mutters through his fingers.

“Love you too, Pidge,” Lance grins back then he spies a particular mullet out of the corner of his eye. He turns to see Keith trudging across the atrium floor with his hands shoved in his pockets, his bag slung over his shoulder and his eyes screaming murder.

Lance, completely out of spite, calls out, “Keith.”

Kogane pauses from his aggressive strides to turns his threatening stare towards the trio.

“…yeah?”

Lance feels a vein popping. “Congrats on the role,” he says but really growls.

Keith looks askance for a moment then mutters, “Thanks,” before stalking off again.

Pidge and Hunk simply observe as Lance fumes.

“At least he said ‘Thanks,’” Hunk offers.

 


	2. I have confidence in my abilities to flirt – but just on stage

**_I have confidence in_ my abilities to flirt – but just on stage **

* * *

The Shirogane-Kogane household is actually quite close to campus – which allows the twins and Keith to be a few of the rare commuter students VALA has in admittance.

One particular morning, Keith yawns as he stuffs his feet into the school-sanctioned loafers Mrs. Shirogane bought him from Italy for his birthday.

“Do you have all your gear?”

“Uh-huh.” He pats the sack by his side.

“Will the musical interfere with fencing?”

“Not really,” he mutters to the ground. “Coran said he reached an agreement with Coach Kolivan. Plus, the season’s pretty much over.”

The Shirogane matriarch hands him a small food tote for his breakfast, since he is usually starving after morning practice. He takes it with a quick, “Thanks, Baa-chan,”

“Take this too,” she adds while quickly rushing into the kitchen and coming back with an empty gift bag. Her slippers shuffle against the hardwood floor.

Keith blinks and cocks a brow as she puts it in his hand. “Why?”

“It’s the fourteenth of February,” is all she says.

Keith sighs, “I know. And I never bring as much as the twins. Plus, I usually just toss them.” He tries to hand the bag back to her.

Mama Shiro frowns and crosses her arms. Keith wonders briefly if she’s the reason why he does that too. “How’d you like it if the recipient of your letter just tossed it out?”

Keith starts choking on air. His body heat rises and his cheeks burn. He instinctively tries to hide behind his bangs. “How did you-?”

His aunt chuckles cruelly, “You can’t hide anything from Mama Shiro, Keith. Remember that, dearie. And keep the bag – _I_ want to eat all the chocolate you get.”

Keith relents and he opens the door.

Mrs. Shirogane sighs as the brisk, dewy morning air floods into the house. “I remember Valentines during my high school years. Your aunt was quite popular. So many going ‘Sempai!’” she pretends to squeal then chuckles. “My shoe locker was always full with letters too.”

Keith groans a response, used to the long list of stories of her glory years – which still haven’t ended in her opinion. Then he jolts. “Wait, didn’t you go to an all-girls school?”

She grins mischievously – and Keith is struck with how much his aunt and his female cousin are so alike. “Yes, I did.”

“Ok, I’m leaving. Bye,” he rushes off with quick steps, listening to her laugh and close the door after him.

When he eventually gets to the footpath that leads to the gym, Keith pauses, searches his surroundings to see that no one is around. He pulls a small envelope from the front pocket of his schoolbag. He glares at his messy handwriting on its smooth velvety paper.

 _To Lance_ , it says in his scrawl.

His grimace grows so that the edges of his lips nearly reach his chin. The cold February wind blows through his hair.

“I’m either crazy or stupid.”

He sighs.

He peers up into the canopy of bare branches and remembers the day he realized he fancied the sophomore on the swimming team who had a penchant for the color blue.

“Both. I’m both.”

* * *

During lunch, Shiro likes to venture out into campus and eat his lunch alone. Girls tend to find him so he switches the location up every so often – but he still insists that he is not as popular as he is.

Today, he eats in the school greenhouse. He finds a bench and pulls out the lunch that he meticulously made for himself the night before (with a matching one for Ryo).

After a while, as he takes one last bite of a pear and scans a page of his mother’s copy of the Deer Cry Pavilion, he spies a pair of Mary Janes on the ground before him.

“Umm…Pardon me, Shiro?”

Takashi looks up to see a girl in the middle school uniform with braided strawberry blonde hair and a bright pink blush mixed with freckles across her nose and cheeks.

“Yes?” he asks, placing his book down so that he gives her his full attention; though, he worries about the upcoming conversation.

He never liked saying “No” to such earnest confessions.

“I…Could you, um,” she whimpers then hands him an envelope with a pink heart on it.

Shiro sighs genteelly. He puts his palm against his neck and says, “I’m sorry…I don’t think I can accept…I have someone I-,”

“No,” she insists with sudden confidence, “Ummm…this is for your sister.”

Takashi blinks.

The girl continues, with her speech still littered with shy “umm”s – “Her locker was already full and I didn’t want mine to be one among the many so…I was wondering if you could give it to her for me.”

Still in absolute shock, he just says, “Sure, I’ll see what I can do.”

The girl bursts into happy tears and thanks him profusely as she stuffs the letter into his hands and runs off. On her way out of the greenhouse, she nearly bumps into Pidge who had gone out in search of their upperclassman.

“Did that middle schooler just confess to you?” Pidge asks while walking up to him.

“Nope,” Shiro utters with his brows raised from his continuing surprise. “I was just proxy,” he states while placing the letter in between the pages of his book. “How’d you find me?”

“I made a logarithm to figure out where you go for lunch to avoid your fangirls.”

“ _Pidge_ ,”

The younger student laughs, “What? It’s fun. There’s actually a junior who said she’d actually _pay_ me if I gave it to her.”

Shiro blanches. “Please don’t.”

“I won’t – your secrets are my secrets and you know,” Pidge shrugs solemnly, “Vice Versa.”

Takashi pauses. The entire greenhouse grows still in the silence.

“Katie…” he whispers, his care and concern evident from his tone.

Pidge sits down next him on the bench and sighs. “The 50-50 gender admission rate for secondary school is complete bogus.”

“You know I’m sure if you talked to Principal Alfor, he’ll-,”

“Suspend me? That’s the most likely outcome.”

“Pidge, you don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do,” Pidge fumes, her hands tensing against her knees. “They’re so lax about haircuts and pierced ears but when it comes to the whole gender thing – they’re complete traditionalists. Shiro, the whole school is separated by gender apart from extra-curriculars.”

“Allura said it was to minimize distractions…”

Pidge furrows her brows.

“You’re one of the top students of the freshman class – I doubt that Alfor will just kick you out.”

Pidge says nothing.

Shiro looks down and releases a weighty sigh from his lips. He leans over a bit to place his elbows on his knees. His fingers interlock together in this mode of thought. “You know when I found you that day – I thought you got stabbed. I was freaking out.”

“The glories of the female menstruation cycle,” Pidge groans.

He responds with a whispery laugh. “It was a good thing Ryo stayed behind. I honestly didn’t know what to do to help. Guys are completely useless, huh?”

“Don’t sell yourself short…but seriously, thank God for tampons. I…” Pidge huffs, “I just was always scared to use them. I didn’t know so many things and I just-,”

“It’s alright, Pidge,” Shiro murmurs as he ruffles her hair. “That’s why Ryo and I are here for you. _Always_. You know that we would do anything to protect you, right?”

Pidge releases a sigh. “I know.”

In the distance, a series of bells echo across the campus, signaling the end of the hour.

Pidge stands and gives a quick but sincere, “Thanks.” Then asks, “Who do you have next?”

Shiro’s eyes fill with hate. “Professor Slav.”

* * *

Ryo and Allura stride through the halls while laughing in perfect harmony. The feminine image of the two ladies with their skirts fluttering about, their frames floating against the background of wood paneling of the students lockers made out of repurposed oak screams _shoujo manga_ – to the extent where the younger students in the halls all whisper in admiration.

“So what did Shiro do?” Allura asks through her giggling.

“He said ‘No’ but he was so shocked that he also said ‘Thank you,’” Ryo says jeeringly.

“Your brother is far too nice. I bet he’s broken more hearts that way than not.”

“Tell me about it – and when he does like a girl, he’s absolutely hopeless.”

“ _You_ don’t have that problem,” Allura sneers.

Ryo tilts her head up haughtily, “What can I say…I can’t keep them off me.”

Allura rolls her eyes.

“So I have to be the _rip the Band-Aid off_ kind-a girl. But Aniki…he’s just _too_ sweet. Gives girls hope.”

“Boys too, apparently,” Allura adds, in reference to the story Ryo just finished. “Goodness,”

“I’m surprised Lance McClain hasn’t tried a whack at it,” Ryo comments. “He’s had a man-crush on my brother for _years_.”

Allura tosses her friend a glare of daggers.

Ms. Shirogane smirks. “ _Right_ , it’s because he keeps chasing after you with guitar renditions of Taylor Swift and rose bouquets.”

“He flirts with anything that moves,” Allura grimaces. “ _You’re_ lucky.”

“Because I’m gay?” Ryo asks facetiously.

“ _No_ , because he just thinks of you as a friend.”

“Well,” Ryo sighs. “After how things ended with Yessenia – who knows.” Ryo closes her eyes and purses her lips in remembrance of her last, dramatic break-up. “Besides, I don’t think you have to worry about him for bit. He’s been eyeing Nyma Jones the past few weeks.”

“Good,” Allura breathes into the air as they reach their next class. “Oh, right,” she turns to Ryo. “My cousin Amue wanted to go into town today but I have Student Council meetings until late. Do you mind showing her around?”

Ryo shrugs as they take their seats. “Sure, but does she really want to be with a girl on Valentines?”

“Today’s been her only free afternoon in a while – so I think she really just wants to explore the town.” Allura sets up her books and pencil case in perfect symmetry on the table they share together. Then she grabs a pencil and points it at Ryo. “ _Don’t_ flirt with her.”

“If she’s as hot as you, I won’t be able to help it,” Ryo comments seriously as she dumps her stuff over the desk.

“ _Ryo_ , I’m warning you.”

“Okay, Okay,” she lifts her hands in defense. “I’ll try not to seduce her with my deviously good looks.”

Allura gives her the side-eye. “I’ll text you when I finish my meeting."

“Sure, we can meet you at the Korean Snack Shop on Montenegro Street.”

“Great,”

“Then we can compare chocolate counts.”

“Ugh,” Allura groans. “Why do you even do that? I’d rather not make a big deal out of this _ridiculous_ holiday.”

“I want to see if I can beat you,” Ryo insists but then huffs out a fake and stagey sigh. “But I doubt it. Last year, Shiro’s and mine – _combined_ – didn’t even match yours.”

“Stop it,” Allura whispers intensely as their teacher walks in.

Ryo just smiles.

* * *

After her last class, Ryo walks through the hallway meant for the senior boys’ lockers and finds her brother about to head off to the SC meeting.

“Hey, what’s up?” Shiro asks.

She held up the gift bag their mother gave them in anticipation for the overflowing mass of chocolates what was indeed stuffed in said bag. “Could you hold on to this and bring it with you to _Mogo_ when you’re done with your meeting?”

“ _Why_?”

“We’re meeting there with Allura since I’ll be taking her cousin around town and I don’t want to lug this around.”

Shiro feels his brows knitting together. “Fine. But at least walk it to the Copy Room at the Front Office? I can pick it up on my way out. It’s not going to fit in my locker.”

“Because of all the chocolates and letters _you_ got?” She laughs and begins walking. He follows.

“I actually got one for _you_.”

“Really now?”

“Yep, tiny little middle schooler with braids.”

Putting her hands to her cheeks, Ryo squeals, “Oh, that’s adorable. She came all the way to the high school campus to give it to me?”

“Yep, but she said she didn’t want to be part of the throng so asked if I could hand it to you personally.”

“Aww, that’s so cute! Even middle schoolers, huh?” she smiles but then frowns at her brother, “Too bad you don’t have an ounce of that kind of courage.”

Takashi eyes her, confused. “What do you mean?”

Ryo scoffs. “Seriously?”

“What?”

“Are you expecting Allura to ask _you_ out at this point?”

Shiro trips over nothing and nearly falls onto the linoleum floor of the school atrium. He blinks.

Blinks again.

Then turns to his sister with wide eyes.

“Oh _please_.” Ryo puts her hand on her hip. “You’ve been in love with her since our first day here – I bet you were psyching yourself up to ask her out if she got the female part. Or using the Saturday matinee to coordinate some sort of big “Will you go to prom with me” thing with Coran.”

Shiro purses his lips.

Ryo balks. “Oh my gosh, no.”

He closes his eyes and his whole body heaves with a sigh. “I planned it since last year,” Shiro sheepishly admits.

“Oh my goodness, you veritable cheese-ball,” Ryo scoffs. She giggles incessantly. “You’re so cute. How are you so damn awkward?”

Shiro winces and massages the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. I can’t believe you just thought that up right now.”

“Did it seriously take you a whole year?”

“No…maybe.”

“Ha,”

Shiro groans and points in the direction of another hallway. “I’m this way.” And he waves without making eye contact because he knows she’ll peer into his already embarrassed soul.

Ryo smirks and waltzes towards the Front Office. She hands the receptionist the bag of her trophies and explains that her brother would pick it up after his meeting.

Then, “Excuse me,” a sweet, soft, British voice sounds from behind, which was not unusual since many VALA students were from former Commonwealth nations.

Ryo turns while saying, “Yes?”

Then she falters at the sight of the most beautiful girl she has ever seen.

Amue Romelle – who had platinum blonde hair in a single braid that trailed down her left shoulder, bright cerulean eyes, and milk chocolate skin – introduces herself and extends delicate hand towards Ryo. She murmurs, “You must be Ryoko Shirogane.” Then she giggles pure sugar into the air. “ Allura described you to a tee. I spotted you almost instantly.”

Ryo blinks, blanches then stutters, “I…uh…well…uh… _yeah_.”

* * *

The Shirogane-Kogane Household really does just need a script. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Mogo" is Korean for eat - and my perfect school would have cute uniforms and a Korean snack shop in a nearby town with cobblestone streets~  
> I realize this isn't very popular but I'm having a lot of fun writing it and I hope that the few of you who do read it like it too. I want to explore gender roles with Pidge so excuse the inconsistency with the pronouns.  
> Happy Early Valentines!


	3. You are sixteen, going on puberty-fueled insanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The lone wolf kisses a dolphin. It was a very weird day at the zoo.

**_You are sixteen, going on_ puberty-fueled insanity **

* * *

“Keith!” Coran shouts dramatically.

Keith pauses his flat monologue to an apathetic Liesl, played by Nyma Jones. They were rehearsing the telegram scene among the half painted garden benches in the middle of the auditorium.

Pidge and Hunk shuffle to and fro in the background behind them, busy constructing a small pavilion out of foam and plastic piping to act as the rest of the garden for **_Sixteen Going On Seventeen_** – which Keith is not-very-secretly dreading, and **_Something Good._**

Coran huffs, “The reason why I chose you to play Rolf was because of all the angst you ex- _ude_ – a boy on the cusp of manhood, torn between his love for his childhood paramour and…”

Keith deadpans as Coran keeps going.

“…Keith, you have a fantastic voice but have you ever fallen in love?”

The highschooler releases a strange noise from his throat and his eyes flick towards the direction of Lance, who had been too busy fawning over Nyma’s new smoky eye makeup from afar on stage left to notice.

“Well, you just need to fall in love,” Coran decides aloud. He points theatrically to the door. “When you leave today, Number 4, be sure to fall in love and come back tomorrow, ready to woo us all.”

Keith pulls a Shiro and just stares into the void.

* * *

A few minutes later, Keith broods in the back of the Alcari Auditorium, which has been cleared out of the seats to accommodate Coran’s very _large_ vision for the upcoming musical. Keith’s crossed arms close his body off from the world. Only his sharp gaze remains to tour his surroundings with scrutiny.

He is never really mad whenever he does this. He’s just shy and awkward. He’d rather glare at people than make horrid small talk.

He eyes his cousins and all the other main cast members – which included students from the middle and elementary schools, practicing the roll call scene on the actual stage, since that served as the main hall of the Von Trapp home.

Ryo is all suaveness and confidence in her stage manner and likeable sweetness with her Maria towards the children. The elementary schooler who plays Gretel does not need to act when she clings onto Ryo’s leg and proclaims, “I like you.”

Shiro, meanwhile, performs well as the stoic captain, but always resorts to his innate kindly nature as soon as his lines finish. Coran has to tell him not to smile so sweetly when he isn’t talking. When he does act, however, he seemingly borrows from Ryo’s typical assertive charm to play Georg, which successfully lights hearts a-twitter.

Keith watches them intensely and then spies Nyma sneaking in a wink towards his direction.

He twitches by reflex from his spot by the door. Nyma giggles and Lance, who had seen the whole exchange, burns with a jealous shade of red. _If only he had known._

Later, when Coran goes over stage directions with Shiro, Amue and Rolo for their scenes, Ryo approaches her cousin and hands him a cold, dewy water bottle.

“It’s weird seeing Shiro act all stiff and cross with you,” Keith says as he takes it with a nod as thanks. She sits by the wall next to him and he crouches down to sit at her level.

“It’s his secret fantasy come alive~,” laughs Ryo as she shakes her hands in the air.

Keith says nothing as he unscrews the cap and takes a swig.

“So having trouble with the role?”

“What makes you say that?” Keith grunts flatly and sarcastically. He huffs then brings the bottle back to his lips.

Ryo hums. “I thought you’d be alright being Rolf since Mom told me you had a crush on someone.”

Keith spits his water out. “Why the…oh my gosh, I’m going to…uggghhh,” he angrily groans into his knees.

“I was wondering if you were asexual since you never really expressed interest in _anyone_ but I guess I was wrong.”

Keith buries his head further in between his knees. “I usually don’t…but this time, I don’t know what to do or how to act…”

“That’s an understatement,” Ryo quips, referring to his theatre skills.

He glares his response.

“Sorry…it’s just…ok, what are the things you’d like to do to her? Him?”

He covers his eyes with the water bottle. “… _Him_ …”

Ryo beams. “Look at _you_. So what are the things you’d like to do to and with him?”

Keith ponders for a moment then softly confesses, “I want to kiss him. I want…

“To screw him?”

He blushes a shade as red as his jacket. “Not yet…I just…want to,” he looks askance and runs his hand through his hair.

“Yes!” Ryo exclaims, grabbing his shoulders. “ _That_ ’s how act. Just pretend Nyma is the guy you like and channel all that needless angst into _sighs_ ,” she sighs for effect, closes her eyes and knits her brows together, “Desperate looks, and-,” she thrusts her fingers into her short hair and poses dramatically, “forlorn expressions of adolescent love.”

Keith deadpans.

“Or, just pretend you want to screw her.”

“Right.”

“I’m serious. Watch the Julie Andrews version – that scene has a lot of … _tension,_ if you get my drift _._ ”

* * *

Rehearsal finishes around dinnertime, which compels Lance to bravely ask the twins whether they could potentially join him in the cafeteria for dinner.

As Shiro is about to ask Ryoko what she thinks, she rushes up and asks, “Why don’t you ask Keith too?” Her lips curl into an impish grin.

Keith judo throws her into the gymnastic mats that were pulled out to use for the Austrian lake that Maria and the von Trapp children fall into.

She just giggles maniacally as Keith lists all the swear words he knows in his head. Even with the Japanese and Korean ones, it is actually a pretty short list.

Shiro closes his eyes and a small “I’m too old and too used to this” smile rests on his face.

Lance looks askance and says, “Sure, why not.”

And Keith’s day instantly brightened but his stoic face betrays his inner joy, which instead seems to blossom in Ryo as she gets up with a flourish and beams broadly.

Then she spots Amue pack up her bag.

Ryo’s body jolts with chills. She ponders her decisions but finds that she is already robot-walking across the auditorium to ramble at the transfer student.

The boys watch with keen and unusual interest, watching something as rare as the twins’ birthday – Ryo being _awkward A.F._

“Now, _that’s_ something I haven’t seen in a while,” Shiro comments – then _he_ notices Allura slipping into auditorium.

His body churns as he witnesses her cheeks flush from the cold and she tucks a lock behind her hair as she demurely looks about the room. It scares him how much he finds her more and more beautiful every time his gaze falls upon her image.

Lance beats him in gaining her attention and excitedly shouts, “Allura!” The sophomore eagerly waves her over to them.

Allura rolls her eyes but when she meets Shiro’s gaze, she descends into a warm smile and his heart clenches with hope.

“Hey, what brings you here?” he asks, trying to be as calm as possible, when she steps up to them.

“To make sure _that_ doesn’t happen,” Allura says, nodding her head towards Ryo fluttering about the Baroness’ person as they too eventually join the small congregation.

Shiro is about to ask why but decides to leave it alone.

“Allura, what a pleasant surprise,” Amue says while Ryo thinks that whenever she hears _Amue’s_ voice is a pleasant surprise.

“I’m here to pick you up.”

“Oh, you did not have to. Ryoko offered to take me to the dormitories.”

Allura frowns and quickly sends a glare towards her peer. “I’m afraid that father has asked us to dine with him tonight so if you’d like, you would stay overnight in the guest bedroom.”

“Oh, I see. Alright then,” Amue turns to Ryo and mutters softly, “I’m sorry, even though you were so kind to offer to take me.”

Ryo stutters and moves her palms to and fro about her blushing face. “No, no, not at all – uh, yeah, you should…yeah,” she stands to attention and slaps her arms to her sides. “Have a good evening.”

“Thank you,” Amue smiles sweetly. Ryo veritably swoons.

Allura narrows her eyes but decides to save her weekly ‘ _Ryoko Shirogane, what – in the good name of Voltron – are you doing?’_ lecture for later on.

Amue wraps her grey knit scarf about her neck and holds it up to her cheeks then says goodbye with a slight wave of her hand.

Ryo waves weakly back as the two Alteans step out and the auditorium door clangs behind them after their departure.

“Wow,” Lance mutters, “I thought _my_ thirst was bad.”

“Shut up, Lance,” Ryo seethes.

Meanwhile, as the two cousins walk across the frozen dirt, Amue turns and meekly asks, “Allura…are you trying to prevent me from spending time with Ryoko?”

The principal’s daughter grumbles, “I guess I haven’t been trying to hide it.” Her angry breath flutters into the dark air as smoke. “Yes, I am.”

“Why?”

Allura makes a noise. “I…I love Ryo. _Dearly_. She is one of my closest friends, if not my best female friend. But when it comes to her romantic… _entanglements,”_ she sighs. “They all tend to end poorly because she has the emotional sensitivity of a five-year-old boy. And besides,” she pauses and glances at her younger cousin, with concern in her gaze. Slowly and cautiously, she says, “I don’t think it would be wise to do anything after what happened.”

Amue feels her lips twinge together, recalling recent events that made her cry enough tears for a lifetime. “Perhaps.”

* * *

In the cafeteria, Ryo groans into the table, her head burrowing into the wood next to the tray holding her Dinner Set B – Salmon Teriyaki, rice, and assorted vegetables. Lance was devouring his seven slices of pizza while sitting across from a silent Shiro who is composedly eating Dinner Set A – sautéed fish, red potatoes and marinated Brussel sprouts.

“Why won’t Allura let me date her?” she moans desperately.

“Because you’re a shameless womanizer,” Keith comments as he sets his tray down at the table and sits across from Ryo and next to Lance.

She just scoffs, making her head bounce a bit, while Kogane splits his chopsticks and begins deliberately working at his bowl of udon and tempura, which took him 27 minutes to decide on choosing.

“She’s smart – she’s not letting her cousin date a four year old,” Lance remarks as he licks the grease off his fingers.

Ryo jerks her head off the table and produces an elongated, scandalized gasp. “How _dare_ you,” she mutters breathily in her patented British accent, which is something she pulls out almost as often as she blinks. She grabs her brother’s shoulder and articulates, “My good sir, we are four and _a half._ ”

“Combined?” Lance snorts.

Shiro shakes his head in disbelief. “We should have never told anyone when our birthday was.”

Lance chuckles into his food. Keith, silent, just watches – upset with himself that he is infatuated with the slob that sits besides him.

“So…we good?” Ryo suddenly and solemnly asks of Lance. “You know, us despite… Yessenia?”

The boy pauses and swallows what was left in his mouth. The other two just continue eating, unfortunately used to Ryo consistently bringing up sensitive topics at dinner.

Lance looks off in thought then shrugs his shoulders. “I mean, if you didn’t look as guilty as you did when you broke up, I’d probably still be pissed. And, well, she…she said it was mutual,” he mutters then wipes his mouth with a cloth napkin, thinking about his sister who currently is studying abroad in France.

He knows that she left because of Ryo.

“Yessie was my first love,” Ryo confesses abruptly, leaning across the table towards his direction. Lance, though surprised, believes her. “But I like hanging out with you, and I just don’t want that to come in between us hanging out and having fun still…you know?”

Lance huffs and his eyes take on a serious tone, unusual as it was. “We were friends before you dated her and I don’t want things to be awkward too…so yeah, sure, we’re good.” He looks up and flashes a smile.

Ryo returns it and says, “Thanks.” Then she turns to her boys and announces, “Hopefully, you two won’t have that problem with the people you’re in love with.”

Shiro and Keith splutter into their food. Lance looks at them excitedly.

“Why do you do that?” Keith seethes, while wiping his mouth.

Ryo lays her head in her hand, looks at her cousin fondly, and sings,

_Seeing you blush is one of my favorite things~_

Shiro stays out of it. He has too. He has abnormally high blood pressure for a four-and-a-half-year-old.

Keith sneers. “Ugh, there’s a reason why Christopher Plummer hated the film – all the songs are so fricking stupid and sappy.”

Lance quickly grabs hold of Keith’s shoulder and glares. “Speak not of heresy, Kogane.”

Keith blinks, stunned by the sudden physical touch and attempts to think of a response until he hears Ryo chuckling. Keith meets her gaze and she holds up an extended pinky. Her face speaks the subtext.

Something inside Keith bursts and he abruptly stands. His anger and embarrassment flow off of him in waves of heat. “I cannot believe you, right now,” he seethes. He whips his tray from off the table, stalks to the Tray Return, dumps his dishes and leftover food, and storms out of the cafeteria in a veritable storm.

“What’s his problem?” Lance asks, not catching much of what happened between the cousins. He finishes off his last bit of pizza with a quick munch.

“Hmmm…maybe I went too far,” Ryo ponders flippantly. She turns to Lance and says, “Why don’t you help him out? He’s having a bit of trouble with the role.”

Lance squeals in an insistently objecting voice, “Not _my_ problem.”

“ _Pleeeeeeeeaaaaase_ ,” she whines, flailing over the table. “He needs so much help. He’s like a newborn deer. _Go to him._ ”

Lance grimaces but then Shiro looks up from his food and says, “Why don’t you, Lance?” Then the he smiles warmly, which makes Lance weak in the knees. “It’d mean a lot to me, actually. I was the one who convinced him to audition.”

Lance stares at Shiro, without blinking, awestruck and in a state of pure joy and enlightenment. “Yeah, sure, I’ll go after him now,” he says quickly. Stands, grabs his tray and rushes out after Keith.

“He can never say no to you, huh?” the other twin chuckles, going after the frantic, jubilant sophomore with her eyes.

“Stop interfering and worry about yourself for once,” Takashi mutters to her as he cuts a piece off of his fish and slips it into his mouth. “Keith is fine.”

His sister smirks. “Says the one who convinced the object of his affections to go after him.”

Shiro raises his brows until what she says registers in his mind. He whips his head around to her. “Wait…what?”

Ryo feels her eyes go white. “You’re joking, right?”

* * *

Lance finds Keith by their lockers. Lance always thought it was a curse that only three cabinets separate theirs – Jeremy Lee’s, John Lee’s, and Jason Li’s. Keith and Lance made the bread of the Lee/Li sandwich.

Keith slams the door of his glorified cubbyhole and sees Lance.

They both freeze up and stand in awkward, cringing silence until Lance says, “Shiro and Ryo say that you need a little help with your part.”

Keith’s glower gets darker and Lance shivers.

Kogane heaves the shoulder strap of his bag over nearly to his neck and mutters, “The role should’ve gone to you.”

Lance’s face tilts in surprise. He did not expect that. “I know,” he eventually retorts. “But at least I get more stage time than you.”

Keith says nothing.

“Come on, stop being so frickin’ emo. I’ll help you practice,” Lance says as he pulls out his locker key and opens his cabinet. “Let me just get my stuff.”

Now, Keith says nothing out of amazement.

Lance wrenches his coat from his locker and throws a strewn blue beanie over his matted hair. He grabs his own school bag and strides past Keith. “Let’s go to the quad. We can practice by the water fountain.” Then he peeks over his shoulder and beams at Keith. “I actually have that whole routine from the Julie Andrews version memorized.”

Keith’s heart pumps a bit faster and he thinks of what Ryoko said earlier about the _tension_ in that scene. He hopes his cheeks aren’t burning as much as his organs.

They walk in silence until they make it outside, to the campus quad – with its large water fountain at its center.

Lance tosses his bag onto one of the four benches, which were situated at each of the cardinal directions around the fountain. “Alright-y, let’s do this,” he says as he stretches out his arms and cracks his knuckles. “What do you need help with?”

“Acting like I’m in love,” Keith grumbles into the air. His whole body tenses. He really does not know.

Lance snorts.

Keith knits his brows together. “I’m serious.”

Lance frowns and he points his index finger at the area between Keith’s eyebrows. “Stop doing that; you’re going to get a permanent wrinkle there,” he says as he taps his classmate’s skin right above his nose.

Keith blinks and affection floods his senses.

“So would it be better if you saw me trying to flirt or if I saw you first?” Lance asks, walking away without realizing his effect on the ‘young boy Rolf’.

Keith scoffs, after collecting himself. “I see you _try_ all the time – to no success.”

Lance glares and both of them regret their decisions. “ _Fine_ ,” the Cuban boy says, “Let’s see how well you do.”

Keith drops his bag onto the bench. “This is ridiculous.”

“Only because you care so much,” Lance gripes back, “Why’d you try out if you didn’t want to act?”

“Because…Shiro said he wanted me to. He wanted to spend more time together since it’s his senior year.”

Lance stops his stride, overcome with jealousy. “Why do you get every _thing_ and every _one_?”

“What do you mean?”

Lance huffs and his hands rest on his indignant hips. “You get the role I want. You get the cousins I’d _kill_ for. Nyma flirts with you-,”

“Nyma flirts with everyone.”

“-and Allura gives you hugs…”

“…that’s not for the reason you think.”

Lance narrows his eyes and is about to continue when Keith interjects with, “Well, what about you?”

“What?”

“You have Hunk and Pidge and…I like them too but I can never get close to them. You have a big family, parents who _kept_ you instead of sending you off to boarding school in a foreign country-,”

Now this makes Lance balk. His hands fall to his sides and his eyes become overwrought with concern.

“Professors like you better, Ryo likes you better, and Coran fricking _loves_ you…and…” Keith pulls the collar of his coat closer to his face and whispers into the fabric, “I even like you better than I like myself.”

Lance rushes to him, angrily, and grabs his wrist. He shouts, “Why would you even say that?” His words ring into the air as his breath turns into the vapor between them.

“What? It’s true.”

“What the hell, man…don’t just…” Lance sighs heavily, definitely not expecting such vulnerability from the guy who looks like he would murder a puppy if provoked. “Don’t feel that way, alright?”

“Same to you, then,” Keith says cogently.

Lance makes a face.

Kogane continues, “You don’t have to prove yourself as much as you think…you’re fine the way you are.”

Lance releases his arm and produces a curt chuckle, awkwardly, while feeling something twinge in his face and stomach. “That was pretty sappy, Keith.”

Keith furrows his brows, upset that the moment was ruined.

“Ok, say a pick-up line,” Lance orders.

“What?”

“Use a pick-up line on me.”

“Uhhh…feel this,” Keith holds up his arm, referring to the sleeve of his jacket.

Lance reluctantly touches his sleeve again.

Keith, deadpan, states, “It’s boyfriend material.”

Laughter erupts.

Keith broods.

“Alright…maybe we should just stick with the lyrics. You memorized them right?”

“Who doesn’t know the words to ‘ _You are sixteen going on seventeen’_?”

“Just go, dude.”

Keith clears his throat and woodenly begins singing, slowly at first,

_You wait, little girl, on an empty stage,_

_For fate to turn the light on,_

Lance hates that the other boy’s voice is so fucking smooth _and_ in perfect pitch. Keith gains more confidence and continues,

_Your life, little girl, is an empty page_

“Now, look at me and narrow your eyes. Then lean in,” Lance orders in between beats.

Keith obeys and with heat in his breath and his eyes, he warbles,

_That men will want to write on_

Lance returns the heat, as if he were Liesl, shortening the distance between them and croons,

_To write on_

Keith jolts – which was the right reaction; and they continue like that – going through the lyrics – line by line – with Lance coaching him on what exactly to do with his face, sometimes modeling it for him.

Then, Lance jumps onto the seat of the park bench and sings, with the charming cadence of his voice,

_“I need someone, older and wiser, telling me what to do-oo.”_

He looks down at Keith who had shuffled to the bench and looked up at him. Out of reflex, Lance runs his fingers through the fencer’s hair like Leisl does with Rolf.

Keith closes his eyes and folds his head into Lance’s grip - his fingers gently fall around the boy’s wrist.

 _Damn, this kid is smooth_ , Lance thinks to himself as he finishes,

_You are seventeen – going on eighteen._

_I-’ll de-pend on you_.”

Their eyes lock.

Keith reaches up to hook his free hand around Lance’s neck and pulls him down to a sudden, fierce yet chaste kiss.

Lance’s sense amplify by a million – in a split second, he could feel Keith’s calloused fingers run against the nape of his neck. His chapped lips parting slightly against the breath of his own parted lips.

Lance, despite so many things, realizes that he doesn’t hate the sensation of Kogane’s lips on his.

And just as Lance is about to close his eyes – Keith’s open in horror.

He backs up.

Their grips on each other loosen in small, tender margins.

“I…Ah…sorry,” Kogane mutters with his eyes very much still widened from the shock of his own actions.

Then he dashes off –

– Thereby, leaving Lance, bending slightly over from the bench, with his arms at weird angles – in the dead of night, in the middle of the campus courtyard.

As he hears the sound of Keith’s hurried footsteps fading off in the dark, Lance mutters, “Well, _that_ just happened.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines! Hope you like awkward Keith as much as I loved writing him! And Shiro being only 6.5 y.o. I find hilarious and then I thought - oh, that's good, Dreamworks let the six-year-old take a nap in between Season 2 and 3. Then that made me sad.


End file.
